Method op treatment oe hydrocarbons



May 26, 1931. DE FLOREZ 1,806,597

METHOD OF TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS Filed Aug. 4, 1922 avwemtoz i boiling Patented May 26, 1931 lJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUIS DE FLOREZ, 015 BOSTON, MASSACJEIIUSETT S, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

THE TEXAS compan on NEW 2031:,

mn'rnon or rnmrmmm or mnocamaons Application filed August 4, 1922. Serial No. 579,603,-

My invention in its broader aspects has to do with the treatment of liquid hydrocarbons, as for instance by cracking to convert higher boiling point constituents to lower point constituents, and provides means whereby the process is carried. on at a substantially constant rate of flow of the liquid hydrocarbons through the still and at a substantially constant temperature at a m predetermined point of the still,:the fuel supply to heat the still being regulated in accordance with temperature variations of said predetermined poin-t.-

My invention alsoJinvolves the provision of means whereby the regulation of the fuel supply may be easily, qulckly and positively accomplished by means of apparatus of a simple character, adapted to continuous operation without likelihood of derangement. My said apparatus, generally speaking, comprises me i temperature ofa given point fof the still, as for instance, thethermo couple of a pyrom-' eter, and means to translate the temperature variations into movement adapted to actuate the regulating apparatus.

In the drawings 1 have shown In Figure 1 a diagrammatic illustration of a still and regulating apparatus containing my invention.

In: Figure 2 a detail view of a portion of the regulating apparatus. v 1

It will be:understood that th are purely diagrammaticin that I do-not intend to'confine myself toany of the specificdetails' illustrated on described in the following specification, since, obviously theyfmay be greatly varied without departing from the; spirit of my invention. Y

I have shown at 1' a pipe still, which may be of any suitable conventional form, provided with a furnace 2 which is heated by means of a fluid burner, such for instance as oil burner 3, .which may also be of any suitable ese drawings character and and arrangement of the coils 4 may be greatly varied, the arrangementfillustrated being a I g. .lhe'coil 4 is purely diagrammatic showin supplied with the hydrocarbons .to be treated through a meter 5 supplied with hydrocarans responsive to var1ations in directionin which it sneedle sim movement conventional form. In praetic the number N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE bon from a suitable storage tank 6, through a hand or automati valve 7. Valve 7 may be of any suitable type, adapted to maintain a substantially. constant rate of flow of the hydrocarbonsto be treated to the coil 4. The coil 4 discharges into a pipe 8, which is connected to a condenser or other apparatus suitable for the separation of theliquidefroni the volatile constituents, dr such other ap paratus as the process with which the furnace is used may render-necessary;

Located adjacent the outlet of the coil 4 is the pyrometric thermo-couple 9,which nimnected to a galvanomet'r, shown "diagrammatically, by the coils 10'and 11, the needle 12 and a standard cell 13, in the mannerawell known in the art. Pivotally mounted within the range of movement of the galvanometer needle 12, are the bell cranks 14 and 15. On the opposite side'of the needle 12islocate'd a chopper 16' actuated by any'suitable' mecha- -nism,'illustrated diagrammatically at 17, to cause the chopper to be brought into-contact with the needle, and the' needle in turn with 'the bell cranks 14 M15, dependingupon the is' deflected. Power to -m0ve'the bell cranks l4f and 15 is therefore :takenrfrom the mechanism 17 and not from :the galvanometer needle; the galvanometer ply determining: the selection of anks 14 and 1'5- and their extent of since'it will be obvious that it greater deflection of the needle for agiven -throw of the chopper will produce a greater -movement of the bell cranks. 1 Pivotally niounted,as at 18, is a bar 19, carrying studs 43 and 44 with which the -depending arms of 'the bell pranks 14 and-15 are apted to cooperate to cause deflection of the -b'ar 19 from its normal position, in which it is illustrated, by rotation about thepivot 18. It will be evident that the extent of the deflectionof bar 19 from its normal position would be dependent upon the extent of movement of the bell cranks 14 and 15 which in turn depend 95 upon the deflection of the needle 12 of the galvanometer. 7

Located adjacent to the bar 19 is a restoring mechanism which comprises a constantly to tating shaft 20, upon which are mounted cams 1 I' the bell or 21 and 22, which may have the general form shown in Fig. 2. Said cams are adapted in their rotation to strike the elevated ends of bar 19 and restore the bar to the position illustrated in Fig. l. Cams 21 and 22 are insulated from shaft 20 and the portions of the bar 19 With which they contact comprise insulated contact pieces 23 and 24. Contact pieces 23 and 24 and cams 21 and 22, by means of brushes 25 and 26, are connected to solenoids 27 and 28 and to batteries, or other suitable source of current, 29 and 30.

. Fuel is supplied to the burners 3 by means of fuel supply pipe 31 from a suitable source of fuel supply (not shown). It will be understood that my device is applicable to various kinds of fuel, but that I have shown it in connection with a fluid fuel, such as oil or gas. Fuel supply pipe 31 is connected to supply line 32, which, by means of valve 33, is given a fixed predetermined opening somewhat less than the normal requirements of the burner. In addition to the line 32 there are two auxiliary lines 34 and 35 which are respectively controlled by valves 36 and 37. These valves may be of any suitable form,

' such as the poppet valves illustrated, and are operated by means of the solenoids 27 and' 28 respectively. In the normal position of the apparatus as illustrated, Valve 36 is open, thus allowing the fuel to pass through the auxiliary line 34 and the valve 37 is closed shutting off the auxiliary line 35. The amount of fuel flowing through the normally open valve 36 plus that flowing through valve 33 therefore constitutes the normal fuel supply.

If desired, means may be provided for regulating the draft of the furnace in response to temperature variations affecting the pyrometric thermo-couple, and means for obtaining such regulation is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1, in which 38 may be taken to be the stack of the furnace, 39 a damper pivotally mounted at 40, which damper is moved by means of the solenoids 41 and 42. Solenoids 41 and 42 are connected either in series or in parallel (the parallel arrangement being illustrated) with solenoids 27 and 28, and thus operate simultaneously therewith. A normal opening corresponding to the normal fuel flow is given the damper. It will be noted that when solenoid 41 is energized the damper is closed, and when solenoid 42 is energized the damper is opened.

The operation of my improved apparatus is briefly as follows:

The rate of flow of hydrocarbon to the fur- .nace having been adjusted by means of the valve 7 and being maintained substantially constant, and the temperature of the furnace being regulated by means of valve 33 to pro- .duce a suitable temperature of the hydrocarbons or their vapors at the outlet, as evidenced by the thermo-couple 9, any variation in the temperature atthe outlet of the still will cause a deflection of the galvanometer needle 12; thus for instance, an increase in the temperature will cause a deflection such as that illustrated in the drawings, and movement of the chopper 16 will cause bell crank 15 to raise bar 19 at its left hand end. The cam 21 will thus in its rotation be brought into contact with contact 23, owing to the shape of the cam. Since the deflection of the bar 19 is a function of the deflection of the needle 12, it is evident that the duration of the regulation due to the contact of cam 21 and contact 23 will be a function of the deflection of the needle 12, that is to say, of the extent of the departure of the temperature at the outlet of the still from normal. Cam 21 and contact 23 close the circuit through solenoid 27, energizing same and causing valve 36 to close, thereby decreasing the amount of fuel supplied to the burner. The regulation is therefore accomplished by a series of puffs of decreasing duration as the temperature approaches normal. Similarly a decrease in still temperature below normal will cause a deflection of the galvanometer needle 12 to the right causing a raising of the right hand end of the bar 19 and the energization of solenoid 28 and a consequent opening of the valve 37 to supply more fuel to the burners.

If the damper regulation illustrated is used, the energizing of the circuit through solenoid 27 will also energize solenoid 41 thus shutting the damper and the energizing of the circuit through solenoid 28 will energize solenoid 42 opening the damper.

,It will be evident that when the deflection is to the left as illustrated only the solenoids 41 and 27 are energized, and that no effect is produced upon the solenoids 28 and 42, and that vice-versa, if the temperature is too low, and the deflection of the needle is therefore to the right, solenoids 28 and 42 alone will be energized.

What I claim is:

1. The method of treating hydrocarbon oils which comprises passing such oils through a pipestill at a substantially uniform rate of flow, supplying a normal quan tity of fuel to heat the still to a desired normal temperature at a selected point therein, varying the flow of the current in an electrical circuit responsively to variations from the normal temperature at such point, and automatically adding to or subtracting from the normal quantity of fuel in accordance with the variations in current flow to provide a maximum supernormal quantity of fuel simultaneously with maximum subnormal temperature and a minimum supernormal quantity of fuel simultaneously with minimum subnormal temperature and vice versa as to subnormal supply in the case of supernormal temperature, whereby the temperature of the oil is maintained substantially constant.

2. The method of treating hydrocarbon oils which comprises passing such oils through a pipe still at a substantially uniform rate offlow, supplying a normal quantity of fuel to heat the still to a desired normal temperature at a selected point therein, varying the flow of the current in an electrical circuit responsively to variations from the normal temperature at such point, and automatically increasing the total quantity of fuel in accordance with the variations in current flow proportionately as the temperature decreases from normal, while similarly decreasing the total quantity of fuel as the temperature increases toward normal, whereby the normal quantity of fuel again obtains at the .normal temperature, and vice versa with an increase in the temperature from normal.

3. The method of treating hydrocarbon oils which comprises passing such oils through a, pipe still at a substantially uniform rate of flow, supplying to the still a predetermined quantity of fuel which is designed to maintain the oil' substantially at the desired temperature at a selected point, automatically correcting this quantity of fuel at predetermined recurrent intervals in response to changes from the desired temperature, and effecting a. return to the predetermined quantity of fuel after the application of each correction. a

4. The method of treating hydrocarbon oils which comprises passing such oils through a pipe still at a substantially uniform rate of flow, supplying fuel to heat the still, automatically applying, at predetermined recurrent intervals, corrections to the quantity offuel supplied to the still to main- 4o tain a predetermined temperature at a selected point therein, and regulating the duration-of the application of each correction in proportion to the extent to which the 'tem erature at the selected point has departed f i'om the predetermined temperature at thetime of making that correction.

5. The methodof treating hydrocarbon oils which comprises passing such oils through a pipe still ata substantially uniform rate of flow, supplying fuel to heat the still, and automatically applying, at predetermined recurrent intervals, corrections to the quantity of fuel supplied to the still to maintain a predetermined temperature at a. selected point therein, each of which corrections is proportionate to the extent of the departure of the temperature at the selected point from the predetermined temperature at the time of making that correction. v

6. In the method of treating hydrocarbon oils comprising passing such oils through a pipe still at a substantially uniform rate of flow, supplying fuel to heat the still, applying, at predetermined recurrent intervals, corrections to the quantity of fuel supplied to the still to maintain a predetermined temperature at a selected point therein, the step which consists in automatically predetermining the quantity of each fuel correction from the condition of the temperature with amount of fuel suitable to maintain a desired temperature at a selected point therein, permitting the system to become stabilized with respect to the fuel supply, and when the temperature departs from the desired range, automatically adding to or subtracting from this amount of fuel at predetermined recurrent intervals in predetermined amounts designed to restore the system to an equilibrium at the desired temperature.

8. The method of treating hydrocarbon oils which comprises passing such oils through a pipe still at a substantially uniform rate of flow, supplying to the still a predetermined amount offuel which is designed to maintain the oil substantially at the desired temperature at a selected point, and when a disturbing factor causes the temperature to depart from that desired, applying discontinuous corrections at predetermined recurrent intervals, each of which corrections is proportioned to the extent of departure of the temperature from that desired.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 2nd day of August, 1922.

. LUIS on FLOR-EZ. 

